Toyota Hybrid Propulsion Prius Car

Toyota has been developing a hybrid automobile propulsion system (engine and battery) for a few years. We (RBBI) have
been trying to bring it to the attention of the boating industry which so far has not even "blinked". The new hybrid system was featured in a Dec. 15, 1997 Business Week article. The Prius (auto) goes on sale in Japan on December 10th.

RBBI comment - Hello out there, is anybody listening?
It doesn't take to long to envision using the gas engine and battery to
get up on plane or pop-up a skier and then using only battery
power to cruise.You might even be able to use the prop as a
regenerative braking system. Toyota is now in the boat business.
Their new hybrid power unit doubles fuel efficiency and
slashes emissions by 90% - what might be the next step???
We stongly encourage the majors to "get their feet wet" with this new technology
to see if it holds promise for boating applications. Otherwise they may be on
the sidelines like Detroit.

TOKYO --
Toyota Motor Corp., in what may be a significant conservation
breakthrough, introduced a hybrid electric-and-gasoline power system that
it claims doubles fuel efficiency while slashing emissions by 90% compared
with conventional engines.

The hybrid system combines a gasoline engine, an electric motor, and a
nickel-metal hydride battery on a single power train. The gasoline engine
supplies the main power to drive the wheels. But the electric battery and
electric generator can also supply power to the electric motor. The hybrid
system will be included in a yet-to-be-disclosed model that will go on sale
in Japan later this year.

Targeting Mass Sales

Toyota said it will aim the hybrid system at the mass market. Whether it
can succeed will depend in large part on the price, which Toyota hasn't yet
announced. So far, high prices of other purely electric-powered vehicles --
including Toyota's electric version of the RAV4 sport-utility vehicle --
have kept sales extremely low. "It's nice to have the technology, but
they've got to sell to have an impact on the environment," said Securities
Ltd. analyst Peter Boardman.

Nevertheless, the auto maker appears to have resolved the other major
barriers impeding the popularity of low-emissions vehicles: short battery
life and limited power. The electric battery in the hybrid "won't run out
of juice" and needn't ever be recharged under normal circumstances, said
Akihiro Wada, Toyota's executive vice president for research and
development. Though its performance won't quite match that of conventional
gasoline engines, it will have roughly the same horsepower and thus be
adequate for highway driving, Mr. Wada said. Most electric vehicles can
only run for relatively short distances without recharging.

In a vehicle using Toyota's new system, all power from idling to about
32 kilometers per hour is supplied by the electric motor. Above that speed,
the power comes primarily from the gasoline engine, assisted by the
electric motor. Fuel economy is boosted by other mechanisms, such as
automatically cutting off the gasoline engine when the vehicle stops and
regenerating energy accumulated while decelerating.

Smaller Battery

The hybrid's battery is about one-sixth the size and weight of those of
pure electric vehicles. That reduces costs of expensive materials such as
nickel and hydrogen alloys. The first hybrid car will have a 1.5-liter
engine, about the size of the Toyota Corolla's engine. Toyota said the car
will run about twice as far on a tank of gas as the Corolla, which gets
about 28 kilometers per gallon.

Toyota is hoping to use the system in several models, but said it hasn't
decided whether it will be introduced in the U.S. Because the hybrid burns
gasoline, it wouldn't be able to meet California's stringent requirements
for "zero emissions" in 800,000 cars on California highways by 2010, though
it would qualify as a "low emissions" vehicle.

Toyota is hoping California environmental officials will ease the
standards to allow hybrids to qualify, said Takehisa Yaegashi, chief
engineer of Toyota's hybrid system. Last year, California did back off its
previous requirement that 2% of California vehicles sold in 1998 and beyond
have zero emission.

Hybridpower systems have been around for a few years but have been used
primarily in trucks and buses. Volkswagen AG's Audi division has developed
one for cars.

Ford MotorCo. unveiled plans to build a prototype engine capable of
running 96 to 112 kilometers on a gallon of fuel, depending on how it is
paired with an electric motor.

RBBI summary: Prius is powered by and engine and an electric motor. They are used independently to boost efficiency and reduce pollution. The geneartor charges the battery and acts as the car's starter.

Business Week 15 December 1997
pages 108-110.
By Emily Thornton in Tokyo, with Keith Naughton
in Detroit and David Woodruff in Frankfurt

Toyota and rivals are betting on pollution fighters. Will they succeed?

RBBI comments: This is an excellent article with some indepth coverage of the issues. We suggest you read it from Business Week's site or the original print edition if you are interested in this field.